Used Land Rover Discovery long-term test: report 4

The car Land Rover Discovery D350 35th Edition Run by Darren Moss, deputy editor

Why it’s here To show that you don’t have to buy new to enjoy big-car luxury

Needs to Be both practical and comfortable for family trips, cosseting on the motorway and unflinchingly reliable

Mileage on arrival 13,325 Mileage now 14,822 List price when new £82,925 Value on arrival £65,900 Official economy 33.4mpg Test economy 30.5mpg

10 February 2026 – Mud-plugging master

While I’ve covered plenty of miles during my time with my Land Rover Discovery so far, I’ve done all of them on the safety of Tarmac. And since one of the key selling points of my car is its ability to keep going when the going gets rough, I decided to take it off-roading to see how it would fare.

Fortunately, every purchase of an Approved Used Land Rover comes with a free half-day off-roading experience at any one of the brand’s nine UK experience centres – designed not only to showcase what the cars are capable of, but also to give owners the confidence to tackle difficult terrain.

I visited the flagship centre in the gorgeous surroundings of Eastnor castle, where instructor Dan explained that we’d be taking on many of the same routes used by the venerable Land Rover Defender. And while you’d perhaps expect an off-roader like the Defender to go mud-plugging with ease, you might not expect the same of my comfortable seven-seat SUV. And one which, let’s not forget, is on its second owner, has more than 14,000 miles on the clock, and isn’t running on special off-road tyres.

I’ll admit that as we waded through water which at one point came up past the door sills and submerged the front-facing camera, I was worried. But I needn’t have been, because no matter what we threw at my Discovery, it simply carried on. Whether that was rocks which looked tailor-made to cause a puncture, mud ruts which wouldn’t have looked out of place in a war movie, or the kind of slopes you’d expect to see on a mountainside, my car kept on going.

Of course, there’s a lot going on under its bonnet to make such progress seem as easy as it did, but, as Dan explained, it's designed to make off-roading as easy as possible. And as I got to grips with the Discovery’s off-road systems, from its under-bonnet camera which allowed me to ‘see’ what was under the car, to its low-traction start, which is designed to get you moving again on slippery surfaces, I felt confident that the car would keep going long after my own determination had run out.

After trawling through an industrial amount of mud, and via a quick stop at a car wash, I drove my car home in exactly the same comfort as on any other journey. And while I don’t feel the need to tackle my next commute as the crow flies, I’m confident that my car could if needed. And I can’t think of many cars you could say the same about, especially ones which aren't exactly in their first flush of youth.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here

Read more on our used Land Rover Discovery long-termer >>

Read about more long-term test cars >>

Buy a new car with What Car?

Like the sound of the Land Rover Discovery? If so, check out our latest used car deals.